Nancy Drew Diaries #20 The Vanishing Statue

In Nancy Drew Diaries #20, The Vanishing Statue, Nancy and her friends are invited to Duchess Strickland's party at her home.  The Duchess is very reclusive and hasn't been around other people in many years.  Nancy learns that a valuable sculpture has been stolen from the Duchess.  Nancy hopes to find the sculpture and prevent the possible theft of valuable artwork at the party.

Let's start with what I wrote immediately after I finished reading the book on June 23.

I just finished reading Nancy Drew Diaries #20 The Vanishing Statue.  I don't even know what to say at this point.  I really don't.

First, I purchased a digital copy last night after I heard that some fans are unhappy about one aspect of the book.  I like to form my own opinion before reading other opinions, so I had to get the book read.  My hardcover will arrive tomorrow, but at least I have already read the book.  I found it handy being able to highlight passages in the digital copy.  That made it easier on me.

Second, the Nancy Drew Diaries series is the most inconsistent of all Nancy Drew incarnations.  They just cannot settle down and stick with one premise/personality/whatever.  "Whatever" is a good word, in this case.

I feel deflated after reading this one.  It isn't bad; it is just a bit flat.  And strange.

As for the potentially controversial part, I think it is just odd.  There is something else that annoyed me greatly which has to do with vague coded language, but not the part that might annoy others, which also has to do with coded language concerning something else.  Just come out and say it.  Don't write in riddles.  Now I've probably got everyone wanting to read the book because of my coded language, but it's really not even a good book in my opinion.  Actually it might be, but I didn't enjoy it at all.  I think I got more out of the books that annoyed me, like Heliotrope Lane.

At present, I feel depressed when thinking about this book, as though it took something out of me.  Opinion on the book is split.  One reader really likes the book (warning - spoilers in the review) as does someone else who reviewed the book on Amazon.  The other Amazon reviewers very much dislike the book.  One reviewer on Amazon wrote, "I read over 200 Nancy Drew books, and this has to be the worst storyline ever.  Not worth the money."

I wouldn't go that far, but I found this book to be distinctly uninteresting.  The only reason I made it through the book without skimming was that I was looking for the passages that made some fans unhappy.  If I hadn't been looking for subtext, then I wouldn't have been able to read the book.  So yes, I found the book quite boring. 

I am not sure if this book features another new ghostwriter for the series.  The book was definitely not written by the people who wrote a number of the other books, but it could be a repeat author.  A character from the previous book was mentioned, so that author could have been involved.  Most of the books have not mentioned characters from previous books.  One other book that mentioned a previous character did have the same author as the other book referenced.

Even if the ghostwriter did write one or more other books, the tone concerning one character shifted dramatically, so this book is quite inconsistent with the rest of the books in the set.  This series is consistently inconsistent.

There are at least two good things about this book, most noticeably the descriptions of Hannah's cooking.  Also, Nancy is not scared.  That's always good.

One character did look for the bathroom during the party, but quite fortunately, Nancy stays away from the bathroom in this book.

I have written before that many of these books—usually the ones I don't like as much—have an obvious solution to the mystery.  I knew who took the statue from near the beginning of the story.  I realized the culprit's identity during Chapter 2.  How stupidly obvious!

The plot does have a little bit of a twist that makes the story marginally interesting towards the end.  I personally think the vanishing statue plot is pointless and that the main plot should have been crafted around the secret learned by Nancy late in the story.  That would have made the book more compelling, at least in my opinion.

I found the artist characters to be exceedingly bizarre, and that was the aspect of the book that I found really strange that took away from my interest.  One man duck walks, for instance.  He's an adult, but he acts like a child.  The characters dress really, really bizarre.  I think kids might love the artist characters, but they are way too odd for me.

I will now segue into a discussion of the coded language in this story, so the rest of this review contains spoilers about that aspect of the story.

I don't like knowing anything about a book before reading it.  Each time something potentially controversial comes up in a Nancy Drew Diaries book, I hear about it soon after publication and before I have received my book.  I prefer to form my own opinion so I know my own reaction without having it influenced by others.  I have about decided to purchase the digital copy and the hardcover copy from now on so that I can read each new book on release day before the first reviews are posted.

I was careful with my wording in the above part of this post so as not to reveal what is in the book that upset some people.  I will now say and will be specific, so quit reading here if you want to read the book first before seeing what others think.

This first part is just me and my complaint about authors who use vague coded language when describing characters that are not Caucasian.  I understand the desire to avoid labels, but the description of the character should be done in such a way that the reader actually realizes the character's race. 

On page 32, a character is described as having "curly black hair, parted in the middle."  I guess I should have realized what that meant, but I have known a few white people with black, curly hair.  So that just went over my head.  On page 143, the mother of the character with "curly black hair" is described as having a "wrinkled brown face."

Oh.

I was so annoyed.  If I am to visualize a character as African American, then please be a little better at signaling that to me.

Again, I understand why we should avoid labels whenever possible.  However, there is no point in having an African American character in the story when the reader does not realize the character's race until fairly late in the story.  This actually made me angry.  One of my biggest annoyances as a reader is when authors fail to describe characters at all:  no hair color, nothing.  I like to be able to visualize the characters as different from each other.  An author who telegraphs that information to the reader as if playing charades is not being helpful.

The other coded language has to do with George.  We are apparently expected to conclude that George is a lesbian.  This is a surprising development, since there has been no sign of that in the previous books.  For many years, some fans have insisted that George is a lesbian, and the recent comic book series depicts her as such.  So this development is not something completely outside the realm of possibility, but it has never been implied in one of the actual Nancy Drew books.  That is, if one can conclude that George's lesbianism is even being implied.  There's that problem with coded language and how it can be too vague.

If George is supposed to be a lesbian, I don't care either way.  It is a nonissue for me.  My problem is the author's coded language which attempts to signal this revelation to the reader. 

Page 68:  "I bet George is going to show up in jeans and flannel," I said.

Page 68:  "With her rumpled T-shirt and short dark hair sticking up every which way..."

Page 71:  "I never wear earrings," said George, squinting at the screen.

Page 71:  "George's closet seemed to be filled with nothing but lumpy sweaters and hanger after hanger of wrinkled button-down shirts printed with zigzags, polka dots, birds, palm tress, lightning bolts, and bicycles."

George and Nancy are also a bit flirty with each other.  Ned isn't able to go to the party, so George goes as Nancy's date.  She dresses in a tuxedo.

All this taken together, we are being led towards a certain conclusion.

I believe that the author did this on their own.  I have stated in previous reviews that I believe that Simon and Schuster is allowing the ghostwriters free rein.  There is no quality control, which has resulted in a wildly uneven series.  This is just the latest chapter in the Nancy Drew Diaries debacle.

Some people think that George is to be a lesbian from now on.  That could be, but it's odd to do it in this fashion well into the series.  We will have to see what happens.  If past history is any indication, then the next book will feature George as a girly girl who is crazy about boys.  That's how inconsistent this series is.

I found the mystery to be sorely lacking in this story.  The plot is not sabotage, but I find boring sabotage more interesting than this non-mystery story.  I never felt that I had any reason to care.  The book bored and depressed me.

July 2020 Pandemic and Blog Review Update

I never thought that I would become a pawn, but that is apparently now what I am.  The issue of whether to open schools or keep them closed is now the hot topic in politics.  Therefore, I now am just a pawn, nothing more.

I have been so disappointed since early this year when the pandemic was politicized.  And now, schools reopening has been made into a political tug of war.  This just sickens me.

We all agree that children need to be back in school.  There also need to be guidelines in place for this to be done safely.  I actually think that schools opening will be dangerous regardless and will result in many infections.  I am angered by the cavalier, dismissive attitude of some people in our government, both state and federal.

Fortunately, I am in a district that is providing us with face shields and masks and, most importantly, is requiring all faculty, staff, and students to wear masks.  Some local districts will not require students to wear masks.  I can't even imagine.

I actually have conflicting feelings.  I am apprehensive about going back, but I also would like to resume some normal activity.  I have been at home since March 13.

I am once again obsessed with Covid-19 and am on Reddit much of the time.  I have again quit reading books.

I have almost no interest in writing reviews.  I am going to publish reviews of the first part of the Beverly Gray series, but I didn't write reviews of all of the books I managed to read before I quit.  You will get my detailed summary of Beverly Gray at the World's Fair.  I wanted to provide the summary for the many people who are unable to purchase that book.  At least I did that before I lost interest.

I managed to write my review of the latest Nancy Drew Diaries book.  I almost didn't do it.

I have just six blog posts in the queue.  They will be published irregularly, probably around five days apart.  They may get stretched further apart if I don't get motivated soon.  I have doubts about getting motivated, since I am thinking about school more and more each day.

I will be putting both my eBay store and Etsy shop back on vacation by August 3.  If you want a certain book, buy it before that time if you can.  I don't know how long I will leave the stores down.  It depends upon how the beginning of the school year goes.  I expect it to be very stressful and busy.

I also always feel bad (fatigue, brain fog, aches and pains) during the first month of school.  My autoimmune condition always reacts to the start of school, and I usually have a temporary relapse.  I expect a medication increase in one week when I have my appointment, and that will also make me feel bad beginning around two weeks after the medication change.  I will likely already be unwell before I go back to work.  So expect my stores to be closed for some time, probably around two months like I did in the spring.

I probably will not be listing any new books this month.  I have no interest in doing so knowing that I'm going to be pulling the stores down soon.  It shouldn't matter, since the listings will remain in existence, although inactive, but I cannot muster the interest in creating the listings.

That's where I'm at right now.

Sweet Dreams #83 Love by the Book and #84 The Last Word

Sweet Dreams #83 Love by the Book, Anne Park, 1985

Lisa is miserable when she finds out her parents plan to sell the bookstore she's practically grown up in, until her friend Phil persuades her that they two of them can save the family business together. 

At first, Lisa works hard in the shop.  But when Kevin, the boy she's been dreaming about all year, comes in to buy his mother a birthday gift, she's quickly distracted.  Soon she's spending more and more time with Kevin and less in the shop with Phil.  Lisa senses that Phil is upset, but she never pretended he was anything more than a business partner.  And being with Kevin is like a fairy tale come true... isn't it?

The cover photo is fun, because the pictured books are Sweet Dreams books.  I can make out the titles Forbidden Love, Lights, Camera, Love, and Love Notes.

I read this book around a couple years ago.  I actually don't think I read all of it, but I can't remember.  I did not like the book as much as I should have.  A book about a book store is perfect, but this book didn't really do much for me.

Sweet Dreams #84 The Last Word, Susan Blake, 1985

Shelby loves to argue and always has to have the final word—at least that's what her boyfriend, Tom, says when he breaks up with her.  When Shelby goes to summer camp, she begins to think that Tom may be right:  everything she says gets her in trouble.

Then Shelby meets Matthew.  He's cute and smart, and Shelby knows he's the perfect boy for her.  But when she's up against him in a camp debate contest, Shelby's worried.  Will having the last word mean the end of a relationship once again?

Courteney Cox is on the cover of this book.

I don't think I managed to read this book due to lack of interest.

2020 Middle of the Year Reading Update

Today I was thinking about how unmotivated I am to read books that I would normally greatly enjoy.  I abruptly abandoned what I was reading partway through the book and started something different.  I then realized that it's time for my middle of the year reading update!

I am not myself at all.  I'm too worried about school starting and about everything having to do with the pandemic.  I go back to work five weeks from today.  School starts six weeks from tomorrow.  Yikes.  I feel like I'm trapped on the Titanic headed for a disaster.

I have decided that my listings on eBay and Etsy will come down regardless of how we do school.  I just don't need to be packing books or answering buyer's questions in the evenings.  I expect that both of my stores will be closed from around August 3 through at least late August.  I will have to see what happens and assess my stress level.

I keep pushing my fears into the back of my mind, but August 5 creeps closer with each day.  And of course, everyone is deeply worried about school, not just the teachers but also the parents and children.  This is a such a mess. 

With all that is on my mind, I don't get much out of reading anything.

In "Books Read in 2019 and My Reduced Interest in Reading," I listed what I read in the years up to and including 2019.

My previous yearly totals for books read are as follows.

2014:  262 books
2015:  231 books
2016:  355 books
2017:  403 books
2018:  315 books

I ended up reading 185 books in 2019, which is pretty incredible considering how distracted I was.  This total is on par with what I believe I read per year leading up to 2014.  I did not keep track of my totals for those years, but I tended to read around 130 to 180 books per year in the years immediately preceding 2014. 

My precipitous fall in the number of books read continues.  I read just 54 books during the first half of 2020.  If my pace does not change, then I can expect to read just 108 books by the end of the year.  I can see a situation where my pace could increase, and I can also see where it might decrease further.

I have quit reading four different series so far this year.  I just lost interest and quit.  I tried reading some of Mildred Wirt's girls' books and quit after one volume.  I tried to continue Sweet Dreams, but I quit again.  I started reading Rick Brant, which is one of my favorite series, and then I lost interest after reading #6.  Most recently, I started reading Beverly Gray again.  Beverly Gray is my second favorite series after Nancy Drew.  My reading was going really great, but then I lost interest during Beverly Gray's Romance.  I quit reading Beverly Gray's Quest today. 

I remember when people expressed such disbelief when I was reading above 200 books per year.  That was what I wanted to do at that time.  There was nothing incredible about it.  I never understood why such a big deal was made about it.  These days, I would rather read about the pandemic online.  So of course my book reading has greatly reduced. 

I have been purchasing the Wishing Star and Windswept books during the last few weeks.  Those two series are young adult books that were published by Scholastic during the 1980s.  I now have most of them on hand.  I still lack around seven of them from both series combined.  That doesn't matter, since all of the books are stand-alone stories. 

I am going to try reading Wishing Star now.  I am in the mood for that kind of story, so this might go well.  I hope so, anyway.

June 2020 Pandemic Update Part 2

This is in continuation to what I posted a couple days ago.  That post was already too long, and I omitted some information from that post.  My comment about not voting in November has concerned some of you, which is understandable.  The bottom line is this:  I will not wait in line at my polling place for 40 minutes to vote unless everyone is wearing a mask, and I will not search for a notary who has not met their limit on the number of absentee ballots that they are allowed to notarize.

I am comfortable with this decision because Oklahoma is probably the most conservative state in the nation.  Oklahoma's electoral votes always go to the Republican candidate, who typically wins the state with 65% or more of the vote.  It's never a question.  So whether I vote for the Republican or the Democrat is a moot point.  It doesn't matter, so I am comfortable with not voting.  However...

In the extremely unlikely event that Oklahoma becomes a battleground state, then I will find a way to vote.  Also, I hope that by November that my fellow Oklahomans will consider mask-wearing to be important.  Right now, most of them don't.

I don't leave my home much.  I do know that around one-half of people out in the early morning in my locality wear masks.  I have parked in store parking lots in the afternoon to check, and it appears that around one-fourth wear masks.

Today on an Oklahoma City message board, some people indicated that they have noticed a shift in Oklahoma City in the last week with mask-wearing on the increase.  I hope so, or we are going to be in so much trouble.

I want to show off my masks that I purchased on Etsy recently.  I have a problem with masks fogging my glasses, so I went with masks that have a nose wire.  These are the masks I purchased.

Even with the nose wire, the masks fog at times, but at least I can wear these masks.

I don't judge people who are out in society, even though I wish more of them would wear masks.  That brings me to another topic:  Covid-shaming.  Covid-shaming is when people shame others for their actions during this pandemic.  It goes both ways.  Some people are shamed for not staying at home and are accused of spreading the virus.  The people who instead stay at home are shamed for being too scared to leave their homes and for living their lives in fear.  The mask-shaming also falls under Covid-shaming.

Some people have started hunting for books again and have shown their finds in our Facebook group.  One member has taken it upon himself to begin shaming those people for not staying at home.  Another person then responded by shaming the people who stay at home.  We now have a rule against Covid-shaming.

I read an article today about how Covid-shaming doesn't work.

The Dudes That Won't Wear Masks

We cannot force people to wear masks by harassing them and shaming them.  I hope more of these people finally realize that transmission of the virus does decrease when most people in a society wear masks.

Some people think that the death rate for Covid-19 is inflated.  Other people like me feel that the death rate is actually higher than what has been reported.  I won't get into an explanation of why I think the death rate is actually higher, but it is tied to the hundreds of articles I have read since January.  I could certainly be wrong about the death rate, and that's fine.

I hope I am wrong, and I look forward to the day when I am proved to be wrong.  My belief about the severity of the situation, whether wrong or not, will keep me from making mistakes that could put my health and that of elderly relatives at risk.  In short, I am continuing to stay home, except for occasional excursions, until I go back to work.

I have read many stories about the lingering effects of the virus and how people have permanent lung damage.  We also don't know how this virus will impact people years from now.  The Epstein-Barr virus causes mononucleosis.  Mono is awful.  I had it when I was 19, and I was sick for six months.  In fact, that virus was the genesis of my thyroid disease.  My body has never been the same since I had mono.  Epstein-Barr is a widely known cause of thyroid disease, other autoimmune conditions, and even cancer.  It remains latent in the body and can resurface years later.  It is an incredibly nasty virus. 

So what about the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes Covid-19?  We don't know whether it will ultimately behave like Epstein-Barr.  What if SARS-CoV-2 remains in the body and causes problems five or 10 years later?  We simply don't know at this time.  That's why so many of us are concerned. 

In November, I mentioned the problems with my thyroid medication.

In early August, I finally was near optimal for the first time in five years.  It was great. Unfortunately, Acella Pharmaceuticals changed to a different supplier for one medication I take, NP Thyroid.  While Acella claims that the pills did not change, they actually did.

And now we have proof of what we already knew.  The medication was finally recalled in late May.  Yeah, Acella lied when they said that the medication had not changed.  The pills were at first too weak and then they were overcorrected, making them superpotent.  When labs were done in March, we found that I had too much thyroid hormone in my blood.  We did not know that the particular pills that I was taking were superpotent.  My medication was reduced, and I was fine for a while. 

I was supposed to go in for labs in early May, but testing for Covid-19 was still lagging at that time.  I decided that I felt okay and that I would wait.  That was a mistake.  I can now tell that I don't have enough thyroid hormone in my blood.  If I had gone in for those labs, my medication would have been raised again.  But then that was before the recall, and I would have been taking the superpotent pills again.  I was doomed either way.  I have 2 1/2 weeks until labs.  At least I'm not working now, so I can deal with feeling suboptimal.

I have learned that my school district is considering just two options for school.  Either we will have school as usual, or we will have all digital learning.  I think I can guess which way this is going.  I don't see how regular school is possible.

Since this upcoming school year will have a steep learning curve and will be very difficult to start, I have decided that I will have to put my eBay and Etsy stores on vacation when I go back to work in August.  I will leave them that way until I get a handle on my all-new teaching experience.  Hopefully, that will not be for more than a few weeks.  We'll just have to see what happens.

June 2020 Pandemic Update

I have had so many thoughts about the pandemic that it has been hard to write any updates.

I go back to work in 40 days.  I have a growing feeling that in-person school is impossible.  Distance learning will not work out well.  The students are unprepared for that format, so it will be incredibly difficult.  If we were to have in-person school, then students would have to wear masks.  They refused to wear their badges around their necks last year, and masks are much more intrusive than a silly little badge.

Virus cases are increasing in Oklahoma, although not at anywhere near the level of several other states.  However, we can see by other states what could happen here in a few more weeks, and it won't be pretty.

A saying in my family has to do with being forced to do something unpleasant.  The person who must do this unpleasant task will ultimately do it "either with or without a spanking."  The United States is going to be forced to do it "with a spanking."  And we are going to be spanked hard.

The government is gaslighting us.  I do refer to both the federal and state government, but my focus here is the state government.

Just stop.  It's not going to be okay.

Our governor believes that Covid-19 is no big deal at all, and our state government recently stripped mayors of some power during health emergencies.  This means that if a city in Oklahoma is having an outbreak that the mayor may not be able to put some restrictions into place without approval at the state level.  This is not good.

I voted absentee in the June 30 election.  This was the first time I have ever voted absentee.  I requested absentee ballots for the rest of the year.  However, I don't know if I will vote at all this November.

Oklahoma is just one of three states that has a requirement for absentee ballots to be notarized.  Even worse, notaries are limited in how many ballots they can notarize.

The requirement for ballots to be notarized was waived for the June 30 election, due to the election being within a certain number of days of a declared health emergency.  The health emergency has expired, which is ironic considering that Oklahoma's daily new cases are far higher than when the emergency was declared.

If Governor Stitt does not declare another health emergency, then it will be difficult to vote absentee in November due to the requirement to have the ballot notarized.  I simply won't do it.  You might be thinking, How stupid to refuse to do it.  This has to do with avoiding extra tasks due to my autoimmunity, which I will mention more later in this post.  I may very well be a disenfranchised voter in November.

Back in February, I read the subs on Reddit for probably an hour or so each day.  My opinion of this pandemic was completely formed by what I read on Reddit.  I knew back then that this pandemic would be a big problem and that masks would be necessary.

I was appalled when the pandemic was made political.  That never should have happened.  It is amazing how many people fell for the lies of the media and our government.  It is astonishing how many people continue to think this is a hoax and continue to think that masks are pointless.

I want to scream with frustration over all of this.

Now here we are.

Back in March, I had a worry in the back of my mind that I was able to ignore, but that worry is more on my mind these days, although I continue to push it aside.  We are still in the first wave, regardless of what some people say.  There will be a second wave, regardless of what some people say.  That second wave will occur this winter.  If we do not get a handle on the current situation, we are going to have a potential catastrophe this winter.

As I wrote earlier this year, I hope I am wrong.  I fear that I won't be wrong.

Back in February, I did some prepping.  Nothing crazy, but I knew that I needed to have a few months' worth of staples so that I wouldn't have to go to the store.  I actually have already had that habit for years.  It has to do with my autoimmunity and the desire to keep extra tasks to a minimum.  At any given time, I like to have enough nonperishable items like shampoo and toothpaste to last at least a few months so that I do not often have to worry about running out.

This is not hoarding; I simply stay ahead by a few months at a time.  So in February, I made sure that I had everything I needed to get me up to June.  I did do Shipt grocery orders and Walmart grocery pickup in March and April to get perishable items and snacks that I had not previously purchased.  But at least I didn't have to mess with most supplies, because I had them.

When I made my purchases in February, very few other people were doing it.  I could see evidence that people were already stockpiling beans, rice, hand sanitizer, and ramen noodles at that time.  It was interesting to see that a few people were buying supplies in February while most other people had no idea that other people were already getting their ducks in a row.

When the true panic buying began in March, I had what I needed as did everyone else who had been paying attention. 

Now it's time to get my ducks in a row once again.  I have seen scattered comments expressing the same from people on Reddit and elsewhere.  People who think like me know that we don't want to have to worry about certain staples this winter.

I have been so angry about by the lies of public officials and the media concerning the use of masks.  Even though a cloth mask won't stop microscopic virus particles, it will help mitigate the spread of the virus.  The point is that if most people will wear a mask when around others, saliva droplets will not be flying everywhere.

Whenever people talk, saliva drops fly out of their mouths.  Sometimes the droplets are large, but more often, they are tiny droplets.  It's actually pretty gross when you consider how much spit lands on you when you are talking to other people who are close to you.  Yuck.

I am also appalled that people actually think the masks have to do with government control.

I am going to the store again these days and am purchasing some items to make sure that I don't have to worry about those things going into fall and winter.  I go to the store at 7 AM and do this around once per week.  I go early when like-minded people are in the store, so more of us are wearing masks than not.  Also, fewer people are in the store at 7 AM.

The masks are a total pain.  I do have trouble breathing if I exert myself at all.  If I am moving slowly or sitting down, the mask isn't a problem.  If I am moving, then I feel short of breath.  I understand why people don't want to wear a mask, but ultimately, most people are going to need to do so in order for us to get this outbreak under control.

The craziest thing about all of this is that I may have been exposed to Covid-19 in March and may have gotten it.  I discount that greatly and feel like I haven't had the virus, but I also can't rule it out.

I will refer to two people as Person #1 and Person #2.  Both of these people got a virus in March, within days of each other.  Person #1 had a fever, a cough, and loss of appetite, but no shortness of breath.

Person #2 became very hoarse, had a cough, and felt bad.  This person minimizes everything and made the virus sound like it wasn't much.  I did not learn until much later that this person was having to use their inhaler around 10 times per day due to breathing problems and that they had never had that happen for any virus before.  I also learned that this person had to use their inhaler much more than usual for 2 1/2 months after acquisition of this virus.  This had never happened to this person before from any virus previously.  This person is still experiencing shortness of breath on random days.

So... I was around these people a lot.  I did get a low-grade fever that lasted a day or so at the time they were sick.  It was nothing really, and I am prone to transient fevers due to my autoimmunity.  Usually a fever is just my own body.  However, at the time I did think this was a virus trying to take hold.

I take 10,000 IU of vitamin D each day, which is under a doctor's orders due to my autoimmunity.  I can attest that vitamin D reduces fatigue and muscle pain and does help the body fight off viruses.  Most people would benefit from taking vitamin D.  However, do not take a high dose without getting your vitamin D level checked.

I began taking zinc and vitamin C in February as a preventative measure for Covid-19.  I purchased zinc lozenges in February to have ready if I came down with a virus.  When I felt this virus begin to take hold in March, I began taking the lozenges.  My body beat back the virus, so I didn't get sick.

I did lose my sense of taste for a week or so, but that happens to me several times per year as a side effect of my thyroid medication.  I can't consider the loss of taste to mean anything since I experience it regularly.

Two weeks after I had the brief encounter with the virus, I found that I had an unusual amount of chest congestion.  It was unusual, because there was no reason for it.  If I had had a bad virus, then sure.  I hadn't, so I was a bit mystified.  When much later I learned about Person #2's shortness of breath, I wondered about it.

Even if I did have Covid-19, that doesn't mean that I can't get it again.  We aren't far enough into this event to know how long immunity lasts.  So I continue to be very careful and hope that I can avoid getting the virus.

Sweet Dreams #81 Secret Admirer and #82 Hey, Good Looking!

Sweet Dreams #81 Secret Admirer, Debra Spector, 1985

The most important part of Kim Belding's world is KLAU—the Laurence High School radio station.  As one of its top disc jockeys, she gets to play the latest hits and the newest music.

When a secret admirer begins calling in his song requests, Kim loses her usual on-the-air cool.  Who could the mystery caller be?  Is it Ray, Laurence High's hot rock guitarist?  Or Buddy, the president of the student council and Kim's sworn enemy?  Or is her unknown fan someone she's never met?  Kim's determined to discover her caller's identity, but she may be in for a big surprise!

I was able to read this book, even though I skimmed at times.  The book is enjoyable but nothing special.

Sweet Dreams #82, Hey, Good Looking!, Jane Polcovar, 1985

Patty and Kevin have been going together for months, and it's as wonderful as Patty hoped it would be.  Now Kevin's birthday is coming, and Patty wants to buy him a special present.  That means finding a summer job.

Jobs are hard to find, so when Patty is hired to work on a construction site, she expects everyone—including Kevin—to be thrilled.  But when Kevin finds out that his girlfriend is going to be a hardhat, he's furious.  Suddenly the job Patty thought would help make Kevin happy threatens to tear them apart.

I just couldn't get into this book, so I didn't read it.

Sweet Dreams #79 Star Struck! and #80 A Shot at Love

Sweet Dreams #79 Star Struck!, Shannon Blair, 1985

Carrie's excited when she's cast as an extra in a rock video, but her excitement soars sky-high when she finds out that the star of the video is Michael Jackson, her favorite singer in the world!

Working on the Jackson video is like a dream come true—fabulous sets, sensational dances, and best of all, a budding romance with a gorgeous guy named Joe, another extra.  It looks as if Carrie's shooting straight to the top—but looks can sometimes be deceiving.

The premise didn't interest me, so I didn't read the book.

Sweet Dreams #80 A Shot at Love, Jill Jarnow, 1985

Samantha has always wanted to fly to one of those exotic islands in the Caribbean.  So when her father announces a vacation to Paradise Bay with the other families from his company, it's nearly Samantha's dream come true.

There's only one problem, and his name is Keith Garson.  When Samantha met him two years before, she did everything she could to brush him off... until he finally got the message.

But how could Samantha have known back then this short, pudgy boy would grow up to be the most gorgeous guy she had ever seen?  Now she was only seven days to get Keith to forgive her.  Can she succeed?

I overall enjoyed this book, but it was a bit flat for me.  Towards the end, I skimmed.